June bugaboo book club pick

The book I chose for the month of June  is "How Green Is My Valley" by Richard Llewellyn.
  I am choosing this book because It was recommended to me recently, and I just so happened to find it at my local thrift shop for $1.00!
I love it when I find little lucky gems like that :-)  This one also happens to be a 1940 edition so i thought that was kind of neat also.  I love old books that I know have belonged to someone else and have a history! This has written inside "With love from Clarence and Fern Sept. 14th 1944."  I just Love that!

I have not read this book before so I will be discovering it along with you :-)  Here is Amazons  review.

How Green Was My Valley is Richard Llewellyn's best-selling - and timeless - classic, as well as the basis of a beloved film.

As Huw Morgan is about to leave home forever, he reminisces about the golden days of his youth when South Wales still prospered, when coal dust had not yet blackened the valley. Drawn simply and lovingly, with a crisp Welsh humor, Llewellyn's characters fight, love, laugh, and cry, creating an indelible portrait of a people.

Richard Llewellyn (1906-1983), a Welsh novelist, was born in Hendon, England, in the county of Middlesex. Before World War II, he spent periods working in hotels, wrote a play, worked as a coal miner, and produced his best-known novel, How Green Was My Valley, as well as 19 other novels. After the war, he worked as a journalist, covering the Nuremberg Trials, and then as a screenwriter for MGM.


UPDATE:  I loved this book!  It was so well written and had so many life lessons in it!  It has a lot of depth so if you are a shallow reader this book might a little more difficult. For me it was a masterpiece!

May 2012 Bugaboo book pick "Edenbrooke"

So after a very long time I am posting another bugaboo book club pick :-)
So the book for this month is "Edenbrooke" by Julianne Donaldson.
I have not read this book yet, but I was told by a very good authority (Paula) that it is fantastic!  Like stay up until 4:00 in the morning reading it good. It also gets 5 stars on Amazon ratings.
So like I said I have never read this book so I will have to give you a review when I read it ;-)
Paula maybe you can give a review without giving too much away.

Happy reading!

My latest reads :-)

There is nothing better than getting lost in a good book!

So I used to suggest a book every month for my Bug a boo book club, but I have not posted one in several months because I started to worry that maybe you guys were not interested in those posts, but I decided I am going to start posting them again in case some of you are interested :-) 

I have been reading several biography's this summer which is not my usual style of reading, but it is helpful when you are reading about amazing people :-) .  It started out with Benjamin Franklin. He was such an amazing man!  So much that we enjoy today is because of him.  Truly one person can make a difference

I also read the Biography of Spencer W. Kimball  This book was so interesting.  And I learned things that I never knew about him before.  I did not know he was great athlete and that he was a wonderful singer and piano player. 

And I am currently reading the Biography of Ezra Taft Benson I am enjoying this book so much!  His life was truly incredible.  It is probably my favorite read out of the 3 so far. 

After this I am going to read the last Fable Haven.  I still have not read it!  I guess I am avoiding it because I know I will let everything else in my life go to pot until I have it finished! :-/

Anyway now that the kids are all getting back to school take the time treat yourself and read a good book :-)

January 2011 Bug a boo book pick!

Happy 2011!  I am excited for the new year and I am so ready to make my new years resolutions and hopfully make some improvements to my life!  I decided that for January I would pick a self improvement book.   "I don't have to make everything all better" by Joy and Gary Lundberg.

 I am not one who usually has much patience for self help books and  more often then not I don't make it through the whole book (besides the Scriptures), but this particular book held my interest the whole way through.  It's concepts will help you with any relationship you have. 

December bugaboo book pick

For this month I chose the book "Little Women" by  Louisa May Alcott

I love this story!  And it reminds me of the Holidays.  And since the December book club  theme is Christmas/Holidays, this is a book that came to mind.  I know we have all heard of this book and seen one of the many movie versions, but have you ever read it?  If not you are in for a treat!  If you have not noticed by now, I am a sucker for classic books and this one is one of my favorites for sure!

November bugaboo book pick!

Sorry I am always late posting my book picks!  I  have been busy getting ready for my Super Saturday apron class among several other things that I am involved in so I have been a little distracted I guess.

So I have decided to have each month be a reading theme.  This being November and the month of Thanksgiving I wanted to choose a book to help us remember to be thankful for all our many blessings.  The book that kept coming into my mind is "The Hiding Place"  by Corrie Ten Boom.  I can't tell you how much I love this book!  This true story is a good reminder that no matter how bad your circumstances are there is still room to find things to be thankful for :-)

October Bugaboo book pick!

I decided that I must not be much of a mystery reader because I had no idea what book to pick for the October "Mystery Theme".
After looking this morning online for a "good clean
Mystery book. I found " House Of Secrets" by Jeffery S. Savage. It had really good reviews and I am excited to read something out of my usual reading comfort

September bugaboo book pick

Sorry to post the September book pick so late :-(  Time just goes too fast these days!  I wanted set themes for my book picks for now on.   In honor of the new school year and education the September theme is Newbury Award books.  So I chose "Princess Academy" by Shannon Hale.  If you have never read any of her books yet you are in for a treat :-)  They are always entertaining, suspenseful, and Her books always makes me think.  This book in particular teaches us how education makes a big difference in having a more successful life.

Happy reading!

August bug a boo book pick!

"The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton.

You can find my thoughts about this months book pick at my reading blog "Michelles daily reading fix"

Happy Reading!

June Bug a boo book pick

This is one of my all time favorites!  It is the kind of book you can read every couple of years and you gain more understanding and get different stuff out of it everytime.  I love C.S. Lewis and his writing style! This book is fantasy, but also teaches lessons on how to look at ourselves and hopfully improve ourselves.  It is about how we make choices that divorce us from God.  It helps you understand that it is not just the big sins that will keep you from being with God it is the smaller things like pride, envy, having to be right, selfishness, focusing on worldly possessions etc. 
I first read this book 15 years ago when my husband had to read it for a class at BYU.  I saw it sitting there and was intriqued with the Title.  I started reading and could not put it down!  It is a smaller book so it does not take much of a time investment, but the spiritual investment is huge! So I hope you take the time to read
 " The Great Divorce".

May bugaboo book pick

I am always late posting my monthly bugaboo bookclub  picks!  The months just fly by way too fast! 
This month I chose one of my very most favorite books in the world!  "Jane Eyre" By Charlotte Bronte. This book has it all! Suspense, mystery, romance, etc. 
My mom convinced me to read it when I was about 15 years old.  I remember I thought it would be boring and difficult to read, but on the contrary I could not put it down!  Since that day I have had  a great love of Classic literature :-)  I don't know what is in the water in England, but it seems like the most creative talented writers come from there!
If you are intimidated by classic books and think they are too difficult to read then Jane Eyre is a good one to start with.  The writing style  of Charlotte Bronte is easier to read and understand than some of the other classic Authors.

April Bug a boo book pick!

If you are the type of adult that just loved the Harry Potter series and have not been able to find a replacement after reading book 7 then you  need to try the Fable Haven series written by Brandon Mull!  He just came out with the 5th book in the series "Keys to the Demon Prison" at the end of March.  So that is my April book pick, but if you have not read the series yet I suggest you start with the First Fable Haven book. Brandon Mull is such a creative and imaginative writer!  His writing style is completely different then J.K. Rowling, but similar in the way he shocks and surprises you on your reading journey with outcomes that you are not always mentally prepared to accept.  ( You Harry Potter readers know what I am talking about ). 
In our family we have an order of who gets to read the new Fable Haven book first.  I first got Fable Haven for my daughter Amandas Birthday 2 or 3  years ago.  She read it so fast and furious that I knew it had to be a good book so I read it next then my Husband Mike called to read it next much to my oldest Daughter Natalies dismay. So she had the misfortune of having to wait and read it last. (Joseph my 9 year old has not been mentally mature enough to read them until now, but he is in the middle of the Percy Jackson series right now).   So that has been our Fable Haven reading order ever since.  Amanda finally finished reading " Keys to the Demon Prison "  last night so I am anxious to get started! :-)

bugaboo book pick for January

I almost forgot to add a book for January!
This month I am going to recomend a book that my brother keeps telling me I should read."Cry the beloved country"

 I know nothing about it except that it is about South Africa. If you have read this book tell me your thoughts on it.

December Bugaboo book pick!

I know everyone has seen the movie  "A Christmas Carol" in lots of different versions,but have you ever read the book?  I have'nt.  Charels Dickens is one of my favorite authors, but I have never taken the time to read this  book because I felt like I already knew the story line from watching the movies.  I found the book at D.I. and decided that it was time that I read it! I figure the book is always better.

Book pick for October

Wow! I almost forgot to post my October bug a boo book pick!  I know that you were all just sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out I'm sure!

I picked the book "Persuasion" by Jane Austin.  We have all read Pride and Predjudice and we  have all read Emma and Sense and Sensability, but not many have read Persuasion which happens to be one of my all time favorite books! If you love classics I know you will love this book!

Bugaboo bookclub September book pick

So did anyone out there read My August book pick "Two old women" If so tell me what you thought about it.

This month I am picking a book I read several years ago by Mildred Taylor called "The Land" She is also the author of "Roll of thunder hear my cry". "The Land" is Mildred D. Taylor's wonderful prequel to her Newbery Medal winner, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. My family also actually listened to it on tape while on a long road trip from Utah to Dallas TX. The narrator was excellent. So I recommend the audio version too.

Here is what amazon said about it.

Paul-Edward Logan, the son of a white, plantation-owner father and a slave mother, is our narrator, bound and determined to buy his own land and shape his own future at whatever cost. Caught between black and white worlds and not fitting into either one is devastating for him, but his powerful, engaging tales of the love of family, the strength of friendship, and growing up will inspire anyone to dare to persevere despite terrible odds. Taylor's books are not only essential in understanding what led up to the Civil Rights movement in America--they are also breathtaking page-turners, full of suspense, humor, love, and hope. The Land certainly stands alone, but the other award-winning tales of the Logan family--Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Let the Circle Be Unbroken; and The Road to Memphis--are excellent as well. Heartily recommended. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Club

So I want to start a Bug a boo book club! Because I love to read good books:-)  But they have to be book that make me think  and that I can't put down :-)  So For anyone who is interested I will post a new book at the beginning of each month. And because I am starting so late in the month of August I want to recommend a shorter book that I love called "Two old women" By Velma Wallis.   This book is kind of simple, but the message is outstanding! I usually get my books from Amazon I can usually get some great deals on used books there. Another great resource is website called Swap tree where you can trade books with other people. After you read this book leave a comment and tell me what you think.